{"id":34178,"date":"2025-09-29T23:39:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T23:39:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=34178"},"modified":"2025-09-29T23:39:36","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T23:39:36","slug":"breaking-mike-vrabel-teases-role-change-for-patriots-weapon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=34178","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : Mike Vrabel Teases Role Change for Patriots &#8216;Weapon&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2237906469-e1759184740913.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2237906469-e1759184740913.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2237906469-e1759184740913.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-2237906469-e1759184740913.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Mike Vrabel Teases Role Change for Patriots 'Weapon'\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Mike Vrabel won\u2019t overlook any way to make the New England Patriots more explosive on offense, even if it means taking a dynamic \u201cweapon\u201d away from where he does his best work.<\/p>\n<p>Head coach Vrabel was talking about Marcus Jones, the versatile defensive back who doubles as a \u201cnatural\u201d punt returner with a flair for the big play. Jones delivered his signature contribution to help shift momentum permanently in favor of the Patriots during the 42-13 win over the Carolina Panthers in week 4.<\/p>\n<p>Jones\u2019 daring 87-yard return for a touchdown in the first quarter erased a 6-0 deficit and put the Pats ahead for good at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, September 28. Splash plays like that one are typical of Jones and why many would like to see the 26-year-old spend some time on offense.<\/p>\n<p>He did it before Vrabel\u2019s time in charge, but the latter was asked if he would reinstall a dual role for Jones. Vrabel replied, \u201cWe\u2019d consider anything that would help us win and score points,\u201d per 98.5 The Sports Hub\u2019s Alex Barth.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mike Vrabel asked if the Patriots would consider using Marcus Jones on offense: &quot;We&#39;d consider anything that would help us win and score points.&quot;<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RealAlexBarth\/status\/1972395441242407188?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 28, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>When pressed further, Vrabel answered, \u201cWe consider everything. Again, we\u2019ve got a lot of guys that are producing over there. We\u2019ll see where that goes and how it translates,\u201d per Patriots.com.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s staying non-committal, but Vrabel must surely be intrigued by the possibility of Jones, who incurred league punishment for some overzealous defensive work in Week 3, trying to score points on offense. Especially when the coach has his own decorated past as a two-way player.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Mike Vrabel Has Reference Point for Marcus Jones Change<\/h2>\n<p>Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the Patriots as an outside linebacker who also doubled up as a clutch tight end at the goal-line. He proved prolific by catching 10 touchdowns, per NFL Legacy.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Including the postseason, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TomBrady?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@TomBrady<\/a> has thrown 614 career touchdowns. 10 of those were caught by Mike Vrabel.<\/p>\n<p>Happy birthday, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CoachVrabel50?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CoachVrabel50<\/a>! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/klfcCvXotP\">pic.twitter.com\/klfcCvXotP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFLLegacy\/status\/1294257464892968962?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 14, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Few people know the value of putting an unexpected player into a skill role as well as Vrabel, so he can envisage something special for Jones. The latter has proven his speed and effectiveness out of the backfield in the past.<\/p>\n<p>Jones turned his first snap on offense into a catch and run covering 48 yards for a score against the Buffalo Bills in 2022. The play, illustrated by Next Gen Stats, showed how easily the Patriots can unleash Jones\u2019 elite-level speed with a glorified long handoff.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">On his first career offensive snap in the NFL, Marcus Jones found the end zone on a 48-yard catch &amp; run TD.<\/p>\n<p>Jones reached a top speed of 20.88 mph (fastest by a NE ball carrier this season), and gained +44 YAC over expected (team-best since 2018).<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BUFvsNE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#BUFvsNE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ForeverNE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ForeverNE<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HZMDyieJuu\">pic.twitter.com\/HZMDyieJuu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NextGenStats\/status\/1598493693434265600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 2, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A play like this is why Jones still has the itch to play on offense. He even texted then-coordinator Alex Van Pelt to make it happen last season.<\/p>\n<p>What the text got Jones was the chance to run a reverse against the Los Angeles Rams.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Two-way Marc<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarcusJonesocho?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@MarcusJonesocho<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NEPats?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NEPats<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WVfns6BcO3\">pic.twitter.com\/WVfns6BcO3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; New England Patriots (@Patriots) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Patriots\/status\/1859326630482653424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>More stuff of this type can increase the big-play potential of this season\u2019s offense, even though Jones\u2019 primary remit must remain on special teams.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Marcus Jones Still an Asset for Patriots<\/h2>\n<p>Jones is still doing his most spectacular work in football\u2019s third phase. It\u2019s where Vrabel believes the fourth-year pro \u201chas to be a weapon,\u201d because \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of comfort with him back there, and we need to continue to make it a weapon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Vrabel doubling down on his commitment to Jones as a returner is justified by the way No. 25 bossed the Panthers\u2019 special teams. Aside from his scoring runback, Jones also sped and weaved his way for a 61-yard return.<\/p>\n<p>Keeping Jones where he does his best work will be a balancing act for Vrabel because the player has already talked up the chance to play in all three phases. He\u2019s intrigued by the idea of splitting time between cornerback and wide receiver, just like 2025 NFL draft second-overall pick Travis Hunter does for the Jacksonville Jaguars.<\/p>\n<p>The Patriots aren\u2019t likely to put that much on Jones\u2019 plate, but it only makes sense to sprinkle in some select usage on offense for their best natural athlete.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mike Vrabel teased a new role for a &#8220;natural&#8221; New England Patriots &#8220;weapon&#8221; who thrived vs. the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, CB Marcus Jones.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34179,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - 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